[lyncht]

Hoping to frostbite this winter in a Laser, need a drysuit. Prefer to not drop serious $$$, perhaps a fellow anarchist has 'outgrown' his? I'm 5'10" 160#.....any opinions on brands/types/etc much appreciated...thx

[TheBoathouse]

lyncht, on Aug 18 2006, 12:34 PM, said:

Hoping to frostbite this winter in a Laser, need a drysuit. Prefer to not drop serious $$$, perhaps a fellow anarchist has 'outgrown' his? I'm 5'10" 160#.....any opinions on brands/types/etc much appreciated...thx

Used drysuit could kinda be like a used condom....ewwww....

[TeamFugu]

TheBoathouse, on Aug 18 2006, 07:53 AM, said:

lyncht, on Aug 18 2006, 12:34 PM, said:

Hoping to frostbite this winter in a Laser, need a drysuit. Prefer to not drop serious $$$, perhaps a fellow anarchist has 'outgrown' his? I'm 5'10" 160#.....any opinions on brands/types/etc much appreciated...thx

Used drysuit could kinda be like a used condom....ewwww....

dito the ewwww factor. You don't have any idea how many times they've peed in it and there could be other little buggers haning out in the seams. Buying used clothing that cannot be sent through a proper washing machine with harsh chemicals is asking for something. You could also end up with something that has holes or gaskets that need repair and you could end up spending almost up to a new suit when it is all said and done.

Try to save up for the ones with the neoprene gaskets. I wish I had.

[Hike, Bitches!]

I bought my kid a drysuit from Overtons..cheap and it satisfied her need since she is still growing and I know she won't take care of it, so why spend $500 on a nice Gill or Musto suit??

http://www.overtons....rder/items2.cgi

[President Eisenhowler]

Check out another thread in Dinghy Anarchy -- Sailing Pro Shop former owner Mark Michaelson is selling a lot of his old inventory. Also, Vanguard sells a lot of stuff on eBay. A guy I sail with got a breathable Gill drysuit that way for $250 last year.

[Eric_R.]

Gill's old school red one is the cheapest, its like 300ish. It's not breathable. If you want a breathable one you need to spend a little more. Just tread your seals right and that'll save ya more money.

[Eric_R.]

lyncht, on Aug 18 2006, 08:34 AM, said:

Hoping to frostbite this winter in a Laser, need a drysuit. Prefer to not drop serious $$$, perhaps a fellow anarchist has 'outgrown' his? I'm 5'10" 160#.....any opinions on brands/types/etc much appreciated...thx

Where in NJ are you planning on frostbiting? I sail in the Cooper River one, its a great group of sailors and you definatly don't need a drysuit to sail there.

[MauganNacra20]

Remember, with drysuits you get what you pay for.

I use a Gill breathable which I'm pretty happy about. A lot of catsailors (including some of us crazy super distance guys) wear kokotat drysuits.

I had my gill on for 16.5 hours straight on one leg of the tybee this year. It was like it wasn't even there.

[USA-7]

MauganTornado, on Aug 31 2006, 06:36 PM, said:

Remember, with drysuits you get what you pay for.

I use a Gill breathable which I'm pretty happy about. A lot of catsailors (including some of us crazy super distance guys) wear kokotat drysuits.

I had my gill on for 16.5 hours straight on one leg of the tybee this year. It was like it wasn't even there.

I think "enjoying" long distance sailing involves staring at the horizon for hours withut doing much else. All power to you, but I would need to be able to read abook or something.

Oh right, this was about drysuites, ehem, I got the cheap Overtons barefoot suit. the first thing I did was muck out the launch area at the club on closing day. the summer's weeds had mounted to a bale around four feet thick and twenty long. A Flying Scott could be beached on this thing. Underneath it was quite, quite anaerobic. Im getting there, I promise. Now, a dry suit does one single thing, or nothing: It keeps water out. The suit was well made, really, im not ragging the suit, it was water proof and we got the job done in about 4 hours. What the siut was not, * , puncture proof. Need I go on, under my suit I had on a black EMS fleece cat suit. I loved that suit. I loved bing in it, and I think others found at least amusement at my expense when I donned it, so it was a sad day when it had to be rolled into a garbage bag along with socks, shoes, gloves, bath towels and unceramoniously dumpstered. Not done yet, had the club house been winterized, hot water tank dried and water main shut off at the street?

* So That breathable Gill suit, how would it stand up to say, barbed wire?
At sea, this is another hazard to be aware of.

;7

[MauganNacra20]

The Gill has reinforcements at the knees and elbows. I ground sand into the knees for the whole week and didn't have a problem. However, what I think you need is a submersible UUV (Unmanned Underwater Vehicle).

[bigreen505]

MauganTornado, on Aug 31 2006, 04:36 PM, said:

Remember, with drysuits you get what you pay for.

x2! I bought a Magic Marine at APS a few years back that was billed as being breathable and it is anything but. IMO just go with a heavy or doubled wet suit until you can buy a gore tex dry suit.

[Hammer]

Take a look at the Gul Suits. They have the neo neck and wrists, cordura on the knees and seat and BRASS zippers... that's a key to a great drysuit.

Invest in a good suit to last you a long time... there is nothing worse than being cold and wet!

[Al.]

I'd second Gul- mine's a couple of years old, and so has a plastic zipper, but it is still good. My mum's got the newer, brass-zippered, version, does seem an improvement on what were already good cheap suits.

[bulldog]

lyncht, on Aug 18 2006, 12:34 PM, said:

Hoping to frostbite this winter in a Laser, need a drysuit. Prefer to not drop serious $$$, perhaps a fellow anarchist has 'outgrown' his? I'm 5'10" 160#.....any opinions on brands/types/etc much appreciated...thx

Go with kokatat. Never buy a cheap drysuit since you will only end up having to buy a better one. The cheapest route is to buy a good one. It also must be gore tex.

[Hammer]

Gore Tex is a good brand name but not always the best alternative.

I believe that instead of looking for the brand, look to see what the garment is really like. How if fits you, does it meet your needs for flexibility, wear areas, and zipper access and so on. Also look at what the manufacture says about the material warranty and manufacturing warranty, these two warranty’s can be completely different and make your purchase a good value or a poor choice.

[lyncht]

Thanks to all.

Just bot a Henri Llloyd Goretex Drysuit from the clearance section of the HL website- HUGE discount. Arrived via UPS last night.

Got a couple of questions:

- Neck seal strangles me- best method to widen it?
- Attached feet- wear socks inside?

[Eric_R.]

lyncht, on Oct 20 2006, 07:57 AM, said:

Thanks to all.

Just bot a Henri Llloyd Goretex Drysuit from the clearance section of the HL website- HUGE discount. Arrived via UPS last night.

Got a couple of questions:

- Neck seal strangles me- best method to widen it?
- Attached feet- wear socks inside?

Cut a ring or two on the neck or grab some soda bottles or something and put them in the seal to stretch it out a little

I wear socks inside the drysuit. Just don't make them too think, you don't want to constrict the blood flow down there when you put your boots on.

Where in NJ are you frostbiting?

[lyncht]

Eric

Monmouth Boat Club, Red Bank- they race a fleet of National 10's (Turnabouts)- adding a Laser Fleet to the mix as well- figured I needed a Drysuit for the Laser, since the Turnabouts don't sail in 15kts.

U in NJ?

[Eric_R.]

lyncht, on Oct 20 2006, 08:52 AM, said:

Eric

Monmouth Boat Club, Red Bank- they race a fleet of National 10's (Turnabouts)- adding a Laser Fleet to the mix as well- figured I needed a Drysuit for the Laser, since the Turnabouts don't sail in 15kts.

U in NJ?

Yah I'm in South Jersey. I won't make the trek up to MBC to sail, Cooper River has a sweet Frostbiting series every Sunday starting 2 weeks from now. Tons of boats and a lot of good sailors are there too. I haven't been able to make that in a long time due to college but I always made it for sailing on Thanksgiving morning.

[Mostly Harmless]

lyncht, on Oct 20 2006, 12:57 PM, said:

- Neck seal strangles me- best method to widen it?
- Attached feet- wear socks inside?

The seal will probably have ridges running round it - just take scissors and cut round the top one. Repeat until it lets you breathe. Naturally you don't want to cut too far down.

Wear socks - might mean you need a bigger pair of boots though!

[Jake]

lyncht, on Oct 20 2006, 11:57 AM, said:

Thanks to all.

Just bot a Henri Llloyd Goretex Drysuit from the clearance section of the HL website- HUGE discount. Arrived via UPS last night.

Got a couple of questions:

- Neck seal strangles me- best method to widen it?
- Attached feet- wear socks inside?

Do not cut it to be comfortable without A) first leaving it overnight stretched over a bowling ball (or similar) or B)strangling yourself. The neck seal will stretch over time and if you cut it to be comfy the first time out, it will be much too loose on the 3rd.

[Al.]

mk420, on Oct 20 2006, 07:25 PM, said:

What are the pros and cons of the neo seals vs. the latex seals?

Neoprene seals: comfy, but take a little more looking after (need to rinse them well after use in salt water). Maybe not quite as watertight, but you shouldn't encounter problems given typical immeresion times when sailing. They certainly keep out spray etc, and are sufficeintly watertight for any typical use (fiddling with rudders, the short time your hands might be under water when capsized). Lets be honest here, 99% of the time your head and hands remain above the water. They're also warmer.

Latex seals: cold, clammy, more restrictive. Lets be honest, for dinghy sailing, why would you buy a drysuit with latex seals these days?
*awaits twenty people with really, really bad reasons that won't convince me Latex is a good idea*


One thing: I think Latex seals may be easier to repair small holes.